"Terrorists Are All Over The Place, We Must Be More Watchful" - Buhari Warns

Abuja – President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday called for stronger global alliance in intelligence and information sharing to halt the scourge of terrorism across the world.

The president made the call in Abuja when he received Letters of Credence from the Ambassadors of the Republic of Tunisia, Mr Jalel Trabelsi and Federal Republic of Germany, Dr Bernhard Stephen Schlagheck.

Ambassador of Kingdom of Sweden, Mrs Inger Ultvedt and the High Commissioner of Canada, Mr Christopher Thornley, also submitted their Letters of Credence to the president.

According to statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, Buhari said that countries must always be on alert and willing to share information on activities of terrorists.

He disclosed that Nigeria received support from several countries to fight Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East, after the invitation to the G-7 meeting in Germany in 2015.

He said that the support helped in the recording of remarkable progress in degrading the insurgents group and saving many lives.

“The terrorists are all over the place and we must be more watchful.

“If a developed country like France can be attacked by terrorists to the point of killing about 130 people, then what more of developing countries.

“We need to build and keep increasing our capacities to network and stay ahead.

“We need to build these capacities across borders because terrorists operate across borders,’’ he said.

The president said that rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in the North-East also received attention from some countries, which provided services and materials to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the zone.

He stated that the government had instituted reforms in various sectors of the economy to ensure stability and integrity in operations.

He pledged to create a more enabling environment for new partnerships and attractions for Foreign Direct Investments.

In his response, the Canadian High Commissioner, said that the reforms in Nigerian economy were necessary to build global confidence and deeper relationships that would benefit the country.

‘‘We want you to know that Canada stands by you as a friend to Nigeria, and your government,’’ Thornley said.